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Medium-sized arboreal birds with disproportionately large head, round body and short legs.

Madagascar and Comoro Is.

Tropical and subtropical forest and secondary habitats.

38-50 cm.

1 genus, 1 species, 3 taxa.

0 species threatened;

none extinct since 1600.

Systematics

The Cuckoo-roller (Leptosomus discolor), which is also commonly known, even to English-speakers, by its French name of Courol, is restricted to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. It forms a monospecific genus placed in its own family, with three subspecies currently recognized. The...

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The generic name Leptosomus is derived from Greek words meaning “delicate body”, which is to some extent a misnomer, since the basic body plan of the Cuckoo-roller is by no means delicate. In fact, when viewing this bird in the wild, one is impressed by its distinctly heavy body form...

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The Cuckoo-roller occupies a wide variety of habitats, including both natural zones and those created by or altered by man, but virtually all aspects of its life-cycle occur in forest, or at least in areas...

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Although the Cuckoo-roller can be tame and confiding, it will remain motionless for long periods and can, therefore, be difficult to see, particularly in the dense canopy of the rainforest. Its presence is often disclosed through its distinctive vocalizations (see Voice), and small groups of...

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The flight calls of this species are one of the characteristic avian sounds of Madagascan forest, and the distinctive call is often the simplest means by which to establish the species’ presence within a forested zone (see Status and Conservation). Cuckoo-rollers can be extremely loud, and...

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Little quantified information is yet available on the Cuckoo-roller’s diet, but what data there are suggest that chameleons (Furcifer, Calumma) may make up a significant proportion of it. Of the stomachs of 23 individuals collected during the 1929-1931 Franco-Anglo-Américaine...

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The Cuckoo-roller’s nest was unknown to science until 1965, when Forbes-Watson discovered one during a visit to the island of Mayotte, in the Comoros. Much of our knowledge of the species’ nesting habits is based on his study, and on data subsequently gathered by Appert at two nests in south-...

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There is no definitive study of the Cuckoo-roller’s migratory movements. It has been hypothesized that, during the rainy season, the populations breeding in eastern Madagascar move westwards to the central high plateau, and then on to the western region, but there is little evidence to suggest...

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The Cuckoo-roller’s tameness, even at the nest, suggests that it is rather unlikely that it is ever molested by local people. Indeed, among certain cultural groups living in Madagascar, it is considered to be a bird of good omen. After a period of heavy rain, or the violent winds of a cyclone...

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Madagascar is faced with an environmental crisis associated with the disappearance of its once extensive areas of relatively intact forest. All of Madagascar’s major natural forest formations in which the Cuckoo-roller occurs have declined drastically in the past few decades. These include...

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Species list

List of species of the Cuckoo Roller (Leptosomidae) family. Each species provides information on taxonomy, descriptive notes, voice, habitat, food and feeding, breeding, movements, status and conservation and bibliography.

A detailed list of the species of the family is displayed to our subscribers, showing the following columns: Genus, Species, Common name, Conservation Status, Figure, and the Check mark. Above the table, a tiny search engine is displayed to facilitate the filtering of the species.

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